Chile | GlobalPost

Chilean coastal town Dichato deals with double whammy

Jimmy LangmanMarch 4, 2010 08:10Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

DICHATO, Chile — Locals like to say the sea is always tranquil at this beach town on Chile’s central coast. But that tranquility was disturbed forever when a tsunami pounded Dichato two hours after one of the most powerful earthquakes the world has ever witnessed.

Chile quake: Locals with guns stand guard in Concepcion

Jimmy LangmanMarch 3, 2010 07:53Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

CONCEPCION, Chile – About 3,000 Chilean military troops now have a tight hold on the center of Chile’s second-largest city, located 70 miles from the epicenter of Saturday’s earthquake that devastated much of central Chile.

Opinion: Repairing Chile is a matter for the state

Jose TessadaMarch 2, 2010 09:16Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

WASHINGTON — Not long ago, Mauricio Cardenas and I blogged after the devastating earthquake that hit Haiti. This past Saturday, it was my home country Chile that suffered yet another devastating earthquake — this one ranking among the strongest ever recorded.

Day three of the Chile quake

News DeskMarch 1, 2010 18:26Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

Getting used to chaos in Chile's seismic center

Benjamin WitteMarch 2, 2010 07:35Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

SANTIAGO, Chile — One of the most seismically active countries in the world, Chile has been through this before. In 1960 an incomprehensibly powerful magnitude-9.5 quake — the largest ever recorded on the planet — leveled the southern city of Valdivia. The country was walloped again in 1985 by a temblor that killed nearly 200 people. Still, as the country digs out from its latest disaster, Saturday’s 8.8-magnitude shocker, people here agree that for all their past experience, no one can really be prepared for a disaster of this scope.

Erroneous warning on Chile's tsunami may have increased coastal deaths

John DingesMarch 1, 2010 10:35

The greatest damage and loss of life is not from the quake itself, but from the powerful tsunamis that hit dozens of fishing towns and port cities along the Chilean coast and off-shore islands in the hours right after the quake. Erroneous information from the Chilean Navy may have made the situation worse along the coast, according to Chilean officils. There are dozens of small towns that haven't been reached yet on the coast. The waves, belatedly described as tsunamis, hit while it was still dark in the first hours after the quake.

Chile quake: Uncertainty reigns in southern Chile

Jimmy LangmanMarch 1, 2010 09:06Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

TEMUCO, Chile — Conditions in southern Chile have grown more desperate for survivors of Saturday’s earthquake as the death toll continues to rise. Uncertainty has caused long lines of worried drivers at the gas stations that remain open, and hoarding in supermarkets.

Chile quake: Looting and hoarding on the streets

Pascale BonnefoyMarch 1, 2010 08:31Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

SANTIAGO, Chile — Three days after the quake, there's looting and hoarding on Chile's streets as residents wait for basic necessities to be restored. The government decreed a state of catastrophe for the Maule and Bio Bio regions — the areas most devasted by Saturday's 8.8-magnitude earthquake and where most of the 708 confirmed deaths took place. The decree means 10,000 soldiers will be out on the streets to restore order as well as help deliver assistance and contribute to rescue efforts.

Chile: Scenes of destruction

News DeskFebruary 28, 2010 17:04Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

Chile earthquake: a GlobalPost roundup

News DeskFebruary 28, 2010 14:40Updated May 30, 2010 13:22

The 8.8.-magnitude earthquake that struck Chile Saturday devastated large parts of the country and left hundreds dead. Here's a roundup of the latest news from GlobalPost correspondents in Chile and around the world. INSIDE CHILE Coastal town Dichato deals with double whammy: Residents worry about how to move on in a town that was once a favorite spot for sunbathing and water sports.